The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-06-05
OUR CONSUL TO RUSSIA.
Cost of Living in st. Petersburg
The Russian Climate-Scandal.

spent an evening at the Riggs house
day or so ago, chatting with General
Young, of Georgia. our late consul gen
ersl to st. Petersburg: with Col. Way,
of Savannah, who has just been ap-
pointed as his successor, and with Col.
Coleman, of Ilicois, but now resident
of this city. who was Howell's successor
as consul to Veni e, where he resided
for four years. In Washington ex-con-
suls, ex-ministers, e1 generals and ex-
everythings, from Senators to door
keepers, are as thick as blackberries. 1t
seems as if all the people here had, at
one time or another, been upon q fore
ign mission. if only to carry shad eggs
to England.
Including salary, fees and rything,
the Office of consul general at st, Peters
burg Is not worth more than Sc, 500
year. The cost of living is as dear there
as in other cities. What with rents and
housekeeping and servants the consul is
lucky if he squeeZes through on all he
can get. The social position of consul
general is not high one. He is regarded
purely as a commercial agent, and has
no relations whatever with the diplo
matte corps of the court He calls upon
the American minister upon his arrival
and upon the consuls OF other nations.
Afterwards his relations are wholly with
the commercial class, people who have
nothing to do with and are never admit.
ed to the governing class. There are
less than dozen Americans in st.
u Eoo Il, 10
sui to learn to speak Russian if he ex-
poets to get on with .olerable comfort.
General Young tells me that he made it
a point to master 300 of the most COM
mon Russian words, and with these he
was able to hold all ordinary converse
ton.
He speaks of Russia as a glorious
country, and says it has been more
richly endowed by nature than the
United States. 1t has all climates,
grows everything that we do and more
besides, and it is full of minerals. The
Russians think nothing of hauling iron
ore on sleds 800 miles over the snow, and
manufacturing it into iron at profit,
feat which would be deemed impossible
in this country. Cold weather begins in
Russia, in the latitude of st. Petersburg,
as early as September. but from May 1st
onward the weather is charming. Gen.
eral Young says he was never uucom-
Portable, as regards to the weather,
while in st. Petersburg, although there
is often difference of 30 dogs. in tenn
perature between the inside and outside
of the house. There are days, however,
when no one ventures out, the weather
being unbearable. Covered or closed
sledges and carriages are used and these
are often heated. But the weather ex-
erts strange influence, producing IN
pleasant effects. For three months af-
ter his arrival the general was unable to
sleep more than three or four hours at
night. He said to me:
Il could not understand why l was so
sleepless. used to get up in the mid
die of the night, take sledge and drive
furiously for dozen miles, then I would
eat big dinneHand go to bed again and
manage to get some sleep"
How did you find things socialiy?"
asked.
The mercantile class, vita which |
cline IN contact, is very hospita BILE.
They delight to entertain ana will often
ask you to dinner, but there is a great
deal of scandal in st. Petersburg and
the people, or some OF them at least, are
very fond Of gosslping. | found that
servant kept close watch on me. If /
went out for drive he was sure to ask
the driver upon my return where he
had taken me, and where [ had come
from, and whom had seen. This was
intolerable. | soon put stop to that.
There are 1000 caos for hire in st.
Petersburg, and by going around the
corner | could find two or three, so I
stopped taking cab at my door, got a
put down upon my return a block or
TWO away from home. By that means
my servant was taught to mind his own
business Fuller Walker N Kansas
City Jo5SsnaJ. rs s.ss -